“Lying cuttlefish tells rival males he’s a girl” by Michael Marshall (New Scientist)
Cuttlefish are a fascinating species of fish that are worthy of exploring in the classroom. They are known for their ability to communicate with others through changing color and patterns. Male cuttlefish typically display pulsating stripes, while female cuttlefish are mottled. Interestingly, scientists have observed male cuttlefish “cross-dressing” to achieve a certain purpose, not unlike the young Black women in Aimee Cox’s book, Shapeshifters.
What an in-depth examination of cuttlefish also opens up is a discussion of how identities are constructed. The way that scientists identify whether a cuttlefish is male or female is based on its outward appearance (stripes or mottled), which is very much flexible and fluid. Cross-dressing cuttlefish not only remind us that gender is fluid, but also that it is constructed. The existence and behaviors of cuttlefish ask us to re-examine the male/female binary for identities.
Here’s a sneak peak of the findings (originally published in the journal Biology Letters):
Culum Brown of Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia observed wild cuttlefish in Sydney harbour for six years. Whenever a male was courting a female, and there was a rival male nearby, the courting male started lying. He displayed male colours on the side facing the female, but female colours on the other side to dupe the rival and prevent him from interfering. Males did not do this when there were two rivals present, presumably because it would be too difficult to deceive both of them. That suggests the animals were trying to avoid being caught lying.